EDITORIAL: Relieve Rangel of His Gavel

Congressman Charles Rangel was far from humbled after the ethics committee admonished him for taking corporate-paid Caribbean junkets in violation of the House ethics code. Rather, the New York Democrat berated the panel’s leaders on the House floor.

The moment was characteristic of Mr. Rangel’s arrogance throughout the investigation, which continues into more serious allegations about his official behavior. It is one more reason why Speaker Nancy Pelosi — who championed ethics reform — should stop protecting him and relieve him of his crucial role as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

The ethics committee found that the trips — ostensibly for information gathering — by Mr. Rangel and four other members of the Congressional Black Caucus were financed by major corporations with money funneled through a charity affiliated with The New York Carib News. It said that two of Mr. Rangel’s staff members knew about the back-door financing but hid that fact when the committee was asked to pre-approve the trips.

Mr. Rangel protested he did not know and “common sense” should dictate that he not be held responsible. The committee properly concluded that he should be admonished for his staffers’ blatant misconduct.

Read more: (Editorial, “Relieve the Chairman of His Gavel,” The New York Times, 2/28/10)